captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> the following is a pbs election event. funding for this program was provided by: >> ifill: good evening, and welcome to special pbs "newshour" coverage of the first presidential debate between president barack obama and former governor mitt romney. i'm again ifil. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. tonight's debate will be moderated by our own jim leerer and will start a little over a minute from now, from the magness arena. >> after the debate we'll talked to arrow shapiro and scott horsily in denver, and christina bellantony. >> woodruff: you can follow along online on our live stream and live plog. two very quick thoughts from mark and david. mark, it come downs to this. >> in a rare race it's become increasingly a referendum on the challenger rather than the incumbent. can the challenger mitt romney make this a referendum on the president. >> who has the toughest job? >> romney. maybe jim lehrer. format i love. much more demanding on jim but better for us. >> ifill: we're looking forward to what jim has to say tonigh

respect. i will get rid of that. i will stop the subsidy to pbs. i like pbs. i like big bird. i cannot keep spending money to borrow from china to pay for it. i will take programs that are good programs but will be run more officially at the state level. i'll make government more efficient and cut back the number of employees and combined some agencies. my cutbacks will be done through attrition. the president said he would cut the deficit in half. he doubled it. trillion dollar deficit for the last four years. the president has put in place almost as much debt held by the public as all prior presidents combined. >> when i walked into the oval office i had more than a trillion dollar deficit treating me. we know where it came from. two were -- wars pay for on a credit card. those quote tax cuts that are not pay for. programs that were not paid for. a massive economic crisis. despite that, yes, we had to take some emergency measures to make sure we did not slip into a great depression. let's make sure we are cutting out things that are not helping us grow. sunday 7 government programs f

terrific evening. >> viewed evening from the magnus arena. i am jim lehrer from the pbs newshour and i welcome you to the first of the 2012 presidential debates between president barack obama, the democratic nominee and former massachusetts gov. mitt romney, the republican nominee. this debate is sponsored by the commission on presidential debates. tonight's 90 minutes will be about domestic issues and it will follow a format designed by the commission. there will be six roughly 15- minute segments with the first question and then open discussion for the remainder of each segment. thousands of people offered suggestions on segment semtex or questions via the internet and other means. but i made the final selections. for the record, they were not submitted for approval to the commission for the candidates. the segments, as i announced in advance will be three on the economy and one each on health care, the role of government and the governing with an emphasis throughout on differences, specifics, and choices. both candidates also have to- minute closing statements. there is a noise exce

this, could get heated tonight. >> we go to jim lehrer of pbs, moderating this debate. >> jim: i'm jim lehrer. i welcome you to the first of the 2012 presidential debates, between president barack obama, the democratic nominee, and former massachusetts governor, mitt romney, the republican nominee. this debate and the next three, two presidential, one vice-presidential, are sponsored by the commission on presidential debates. tonight's 90 minutes will be about domestic issues and will follow a format designed by the commission. there will be six roughly 15-mute segments, with two-minute answers for the first question. then open discussion for the remainder of each segment. thousands of people offered suggestions on segment subjects or questions via the internet and other means. but i made the final selections. and for the record, they were not submitted for approval to the commission or the candidates. the segments, as i announced in advance, will be three on the economy and one each on health care, the role of government and governing, with an emphasis throughout on differences, s

on big did, we talked about this all night. >> i'm going to stop the subsidy to pbs. i like big bird. i like you too. upon but i'm not going to keep spending money on things to borrow money from china to pay for. >> big bird might go, and by the way, pbs, comes out of massachusetts, by the way. it showed that mitt romney was prepared, he used some humor tonight, he wasn't afraid to go at the moderator in that way. i think he was tongue in cheek for much of what he was saying. the larger point was let's not spend money and get ourselves into debt with china buying up most of our bonds. and that's a point that will resonate with some people. of the big thing romney did in closing, he stayed focused on jobs. i think it was a good night for him for that reason. >> and the polls showed that as well. thank you so much. he'll be back next week for the vice presidential debate. >> thanks so much. >>> starting tomorrow , president obama and mitt romney weigh in on the issues in an exclusive presidential forum right here on cbssf.com. >>> a man sitting on the cal train tracks in the south bay

he would cut funds to employer pbs, despite his love for certain sesame street character. >> i am sorry, jim, i'm going to stop the subsidy to pbs. i love big bird. i like you, too, but i am not one keep spending money on things to borrow money from china to pay for. >> we will expand the debate with third-party candidates after the headlines. turkey has launched strikes inside syria after a bomb fired from syrian territory killed five turkish civilians. the victims were a family of five and a village near the syrian border. the turkish deputy prime minister said his government had every right to respond with force. >> there has been in attack and citizens have lost their lives. there is definite response to international law. turkey is a nato member. certain nato treaty articles bring about certain responsibilities when one of its members is attacked. we're not blinded by rage, but we will protect our rights. >> wednesday's violence marked the day this cross border flare- up between the two countries since the uprising in syria began nearly two years ago. there have been unconfir

. >> i like -- >> good. i'm sorry, jim, i will stop the subsidy to pbs. i like pbs. i like big bird. i will not keep borrowing money. >> president obama responded by questioning pledge to cut taxes for all and reducing the deficit at the same time. >> math, common sense and our history shows us that's not a recipe for job growth. we've tried this. we've tried both approaches. the approach that governor romney is talking about is the same sales pitch that's made in 2001-2003. >> the national federation of independent businesseses said your plan will kill 700,000 jobs. i don't want to kill jobs in this environment. >> romney slammed the president for the collapse of sill cylinderra and among things. 46% of america he considered himself -- themselves victims. even president supporters frustrated he didn't go on the owe -- offensive. >> we have crews with both of them. we start with paul chambers, who was with republican viewers. >> watched part of the debate in the cop tra costa county campaign headquarters. people there was very happy. the group watched the first head-to-head debate b

situation with student loans and those issues like that. mitt romney had mentioned shutting off pbs, which broadly to think about the fact that that is one station on television that does help other people. how to break it down and help other people that do not understand. i think that was another thing that -- the fact that a lot of the times they were talking about the tax and economy, that was like beating a dead horse. people brought up how obama was saying the same thing. i think that is because they are beating the issue like a dead horse. you have to come up with something else to explain the economy. host: what did you do? caller: i am a student. host: do you go to fed vale state -- fayetteville state? caller: i'm from new york state. host: thank you for calling in. judy is from north carolina, mitt romney supporter. caller: good morning. host: what did you think of the debate? caller: i did not think it went far enough in some of the engines. i have watched over the health care situation. i have read up and have had help to try to decipher a lot of it. hospitals being fined

the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf and carnegie corporation. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: with less than a week left before the first presidential debate, both candidates remained focused today on persuading voters they can boost the economy. but a key question at the heart of it all-- is the economy slowing, stalling, or perhaps even gaining strength in some ways? new data are sending conflicting signs. republican presidential nominee mitt romney campaigned today at a military academy in pennsylvania. romney promised better jobs for young people like the cadets sitting behind him and a better future for the entire country. >> we're in a very different road than what i think the people of the world expected from the united states of america. and if i'm elected president of this country, i will get us back on a road of growth and prosperity and strength. >>

on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: three months after upholding president obama's health care law, the supreme court is back with a docket that may even rival last year's term for drama. the justices will decide a case on affirmative action in higher education, and are expected to take up disputes on same-sex marriage, civil rights law, and more. the term opened today with arguments in another controversial case: whether businesses can be sued in u.s. courts for human rights violations that occur in foreign countries. marcia coyle of the "national law journal" was in the courtroom this morning, and is back with us tonight. welcome back. >> nice to be back. brown: let us stipulate, as the lawyers say, that last year was a blockbuster. >> ab

"newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the first presidential debate is behind them, but the two sides went at it again today. republicans said their man took it to the president in the denver duel. the obama camp charged the truth got trampled in the process. >> la night i thought was a great opportunity for the american people to see two very different visions for the country. and -- (applause) -- and i think it was helpful to be able to describe those visions. i said the president's vision is trickle-down government and i don't think that's what america believes in. i see instead a prosperity that comes through freedom. >> reporter: romney's reception at the event wa

funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: carnegie corp >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: more jobs, less unemployment. the september numbers offered the latest look into the u.s. economy, and the latest fuel for the fight over economic policy in the presidential campaign. it was the kind of news that president obama hoped for, just over a month before the election and two days after a sub-par debate outing. >> more americans entered the work force, more people are getting jobs. >> brown: indeed, september's unemployment rate, calculated by a survey of households, fell to 7.8%. that's the lowest since the president took office. a second survey, of businesses, showed that employers added a net of 114,000 jobs, and job gains for july and august were revised upward by 86,000 the president touted the numbers in a campaign stop at george mason university in fairfax, virginia.

tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: creating new enriching experiences. through intel's philosophy of "invest you for the future" we're helping bring these new capabilities to market. we're investing billions of dollars in r&d around the globe to have the heart of tomorrow's innovations. by investing today in technologicalled advances here at intel, we can help make a better tomorrow. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the national debate over voter identification laws took a new turn in pennsylvania today. a state judge ruled that officials must wait until 2013 to begin enforcing a new law. ray suarez has the story. >> suarez: the decision means pennsylvania voters will not have to present photo identif

the madness arena at the university of colorado. im jim lehrer of the pbs "newshour." i welcome you to the 2012 debates between barack obama, the democratic nominee and former massachusetts governor, mitt romney, the republican nominee. this debate in the next three, two presidential, one vice presidential are sponsored by the commission on presidential debates. tonight's 90 minutes will be about domestic issues that will follow a format designed by the commission. there will be six roughly 15 minute segment with two-minute answers for the first question, then open discussion for the remainder of each segment. thousands of people offered suggestions on segment subjects or questions via the internet and other means, but i made the final selections. and for the record, they were not submitted for approval to the commission or the candidates. the segments as i announced in a van will be three on the economy and one each on health care, the role of government and governing, with an emphasis throughout the difference is, specific century says. both candidates will also have two-minute cl

all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: in just a few hours, president barack obama and former massachusetts governor mitt romney will take the stage at the university of denver's magness arena for the first of three election debates. tonight's encounter, moderated by the "newshour's" own jim lehrer, is to focus on domestic policy. the first half of the 90-minute face-off will be spent on the number one issue for most voters this year: the economy. joining us for the debate, and here with us now to preview what to expect tonight are two familiar faces syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. gentlemen, welcome. the night is finally here. mark, no pressure, just 60 million people will be watching. what are you looking for from tonighta encounter? >> what i'm look